The Moat from 600 Years Ago Has Been Revealed Beneath Gijang Eupseong

Busan Gijang-gun confirmed the walls and moat from the construction of Gijang Eupseong in 1425 during the excavation investigation. On November 14, an academic excavation site open house and advisory meeting were held at the excavation site in Seoburi, Gijang-eup.

Gijang Eupseong was registered as a cultural heritage designated by Busan City in May 1996. Since then, several excavations have confirmed the body of the fortress, gates, moats, ditches, and building sites, and some of the walls and moats have been restored and maintained.

Since June of this year, the Ulsan Cultural Heritage Research Institute has been conducting detailed excavations on the site of the maintenance project for the west wall of Gijang Eupseong. Remains of fortifications from an earlier period have been found beneath the remaining walls at the surface.

The remains confirmed this time are the body and moat of Gijang Eupseong, which was first built around 1425, the 7th year of King Sejong. The body refers to the main structure of the wall excluding the auxiliary facilities of the fortress, and the moat is a trench dug outside the fortress to prevent enemy invasions.

Above the moat, the body that was rebuilt between 1490, the 21st year of King Seongjong, and 1530, the 25th year of King Jungjong, was confirmed in an overlapping form. The construction period, which was only estimated through historical records, has been proven by actual remains.

From the moat, 15th-century Inhwa Buncheong ceramics and soft white porcelain were excavated. These artifacts serve as clues to estimate the construction and disposal periods.

The discovered initial moat extends about 32m from the high ground in the northwest to the low ground in the southeast. Its depth is 0.7 to 1.5m, and its width is 6.4m. The width between the stone embankments was measured at 4.6m.

The exposed rebuilt body at the surface remains in the northern section and southern boundary. The remaining length is 17m, extending straight in the north-south direction. The height from the base stone to the top of the body is 1.0 to 1.3m.

The construction method of the body has also been confirmed. The inner wall was reinforced by compacting the base and filling it tightly with backfill stones. A designated wooden support was found at the bottom. The outer wall was constructed by placing base stones on top of the base and stacking facing stones inward. Below the base stones, a foundation supporting the lower part of the wall was confirmed.

Gijang Eupseong applied for designation as a national historic site in January 2020, but it was postponed in June 2021. At that time, the Cultural Heritage Committee suggested that additional historical documentation was needed. This was due to a lack of evidence proving the construction period and scope through actual remains.

Gijang-gun will again pursue the elevation to national historic site status based on the results of this excavation. In February of this year, Gijang-gun held an international academic conference with researchers from Korea, China, and Japan to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the construction of Gijang Eupseong.

Jung Jong-bok, the mayor of Gijang-gun, stated, "We will actively promote the elevation of Gijang Eupseong to national historic site status reflecting the results of the investigation," and added, "We will also work to develop the area around Gijang Eupseong into a historical park and revitalize the local economy in connection with Gijang Market."